The welterweight bout was part of today’s UFC 161 event at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. It aired on FX after additional prelims on Facebook and ahead of a pay-per-view main card.

Robertson lunged forward for takedowns from the opening bell, but Pierson snuffed out the early shots and looked to counter with punches. Robertson’s continued efforts were briefly rewarded with a takedown, but Pierson quickly escaped back to his feet and continued to defend well with each subsequent shot. While Pierson suffered a small cut under his right eye during the striking exchanges, he ended the opening round with a few heavy combinations.

Pierson opened up on the feet in the second frame, and Robertson’s aggressive takedown attack all but disappeared. Southpaw Pierson rattled off high kicks and left straights until a mistake on a missed D’arce choke attempt allowed Robertson to take top position. Robertson did his best to slow things down underneath, where he finished the frame.

In the final round, Robertson started strong with a powerful standing elbow up the middle that dazed Pierson. The Canadian striker tried valiantly to counter with his own heavy hands, but Robertson teed off on the feet and then took his back as the bout hit the floor. Pierson defended the choke well, but Robertson remained planted on his back and worked in punches when space allowed. Unfortunately for Robertson, the strikes were more of the routine variety rather than massive power shots, and he lost a majority decision by virtue of dropping the opening two rounds.

Pierson (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) now boasts a three-fight UFC win streak. Despite a “Submission of the Night” performance in his previous outing, Robertson (12-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) now has just one win in four UFC appearances.